“The perfect quick read for fans of Regency romances as well as Victorian happily-ever-afters, with shades of Austen and the Brontës…” -RT Book ReviewsA PROUD BEAUTYWhen the tragic death of her gamester father leaves her destitute and alone, society beauty Sylvia Stafford finds work as a governess in a merchant’s household in Cheapside. Isolated from the fashionable acquaintance of her youth, … fashionable acquaintance of her youth, she resigns herself to lonely spinsterhood…until a mysterious visitor convinces her to temporarily return to her former life–and her former love.
A SCARRED BEAST
Colonel Sebastian Conrad is no longer the dashing cavalry officer Sylvia once fell in love with. Badly scarred during the Sepoy Rebellion, he has withdrawn to his estate in rural Hertfordshire where he lives in near complete seclusion. Brooding and tormented, he cares nothing for the earldom he has inherited–and even less for the faithless beauty who rejected him three years before.
A SECOND CHANCE
A week together in the remote Victorian countryside is the last thing either of them ever wanted. But when fate intervenes to reunite them, will a beastly earl and an impoverished beauty finally find their happily-ever-after? Or are some fairy-tale endings simply not meant to be?
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Recently, I’ve seen and read a ton of reviews on various Mimi Matthews’s novels. Between the novels’ enticing synopses and the stellar reviews, I knew I had to read a Matthews’s novel pronto. I chose The Lost Letter to be my first go, and, boy, am I glad I did! This novel is awesome. The Beauty and the Beast nod made for an excellent and highly engaging storyline. I enjoyed the main characters very much and felt their emotional responses to be very realistic and relatable. I know this may sound awful, but my favorite aspect is the gripping anguish the hero and heroine experience. It’s Charlotte Bronte-esque. Not so over the top that you want to throw the book across the room and roll your eyes. But just enough where you are left a little breathless and your reader-heart feels a bit achy for Sylvia and Sebastian. I love good fictional anguish. It allows the characters to be all the more endearing and makes me root for them fiercely. And cheer for Sylvia and Sebastian I did!
Sylvia Stafford is a superb heroine. She’s a riches to semi-rags character, and I appreciate her honesty about her situation. Sylvia never whines or complains. After her father’s sudden and tragic death, she pulls herself up by her metaphorical bootstraps, leaves her wealthy and lavish lifestyle and all that she knows, and finds a reputable job as a governess to two sweet little girls in order to take care of herself financially. In the two years since her father’s demise, Sylvia has learned to be disciplined, selfless, and content with what is. I found Sylvia to be a strong heroine capable of taking care of herself and needing no one. For a woman in 1860, Sylvia is quite impressive. I wish people today had a bit of her gumption and grit. Our world would be better for it!
The Lost Letter by Mimi Matthews is a story I won’t soon forget. It is a well-written, engaging story that has a compelling plot, wonderfully endearing characters, and superior passion and romance. I highly, highly recommend this must-read historical romance!
I purchased a review copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on April 15, 2020, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I became a Matthews fan earlier in the year and thought I’d read everything she’d written and then found this gem waiting for me on my ereader. I love her books and this one just might be my favorite. So much emotion, and such classic archetypes and tropes….it made my reader heart very very happy. I’m a demanding reader and THE LOST LETTER delivered in every way. 5 stars. Highly recommend!
THE LOST LETTER: A VICTORIAN ROMANCE by Mimi Matthews is a beautifully written historical romance set in the Victorian era. The story flows between the hero and heroine, past and present, as they are given a second chance at love. The story is captivating and only a little longer than a novella. I just kept turning the pages and was done before I knew it in just one sitting.
Sylvia Stafford was the beautiful and charming daughter of a Baron. She had many suitors, but the man who claimed her heart was a dashing career Calvary officer and second son of an Earl. Before his return to India, Sylvia shares a chaste kiss with her dashing soldier and gives him a lock of her hair. As Sylvia waits for her word from her love, her father’s gaming debts become too much and he commits suicide leaving Sylvia with nothing and no one. Sylvia becomes a governess to a merchant family away from the society and friends she grew up with.
Colonel Sebastian Conrad returns from India a badly scarred and tormented man. He retreats to his family’s estate to hide. His father and older brother have died and that leaves Sebastian as the Earl. One day, his little sister is visiting and spies on Sebastian crying over a lock of hair and asks his man-servant who it belongs to and after some questioning finds where Sylvia now resides as a governess and invites her to Hertfordshire to help her stop her brother from doing something drastic.
The two are reunited, but under very different circumstances and each believes the other did not truly share the same feelings three years ago. As the two each learn truths about the intervening years, their love begins to grow once again, but will it be enough to clear up all the misunderstandings and let these two have their HEA?
This is an extremely romantic and emotional story in all its simplicity of plot. The characters are so realistic and just walk off the page and into your heart. This love story will stay in my memory for some time to come. This is a definite keeper that I can highly recommend.
4.5 Stars
My all time favorite retelling is Beauty and the Beast. When I discovered that Ms. Matthews had said retelling, I couldn’t wait to read it.
I adored Sylvia. She’s a very likable character. Her life was turned upside down after her father’s death and instead of wallowing in grief, she did whatever was necessary to get her life back on track. Some times were harder than others, but for the most part she was happy and content with the new life she had created for herself.
Sebastian was the perfect broody, cynical beast you come to expect in these stories. And, as I usually do with the beastly characters, I fell in love with him quickly. His life had also been turned upside down upon his return from India. Not only did he have his injuries to deal with, but he had also become the new Earl of Radcliffe after the deaths of his father and brother.
Seeing Sylvia and Sebastian being reunited and watching them mend their relationship was beautiful. Both of them were willing to do whatever it took to make the other happy, even if that meant Sebastian having to step outside of his comfort zone. They were perfect for each other and I really enjoyed their story.
The only thing that was missing for me was an epilogue. I know.. I know.. I always want an epilogue. But I really, really wanted a bit more of their story. I wanted to see everything come together with my own eyes rather than my imagination.
I have to tell you that I am so glad a few of my bookish friends were insistent on my reading Ms. Matthews books. She was quickly added to my favorite authors list as well as my auto-buy list. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!
THIS is just the kind of historical romance I like! Engaging story, likeable characters, unrequited love, delicious tension between the principals, believable dialog, misunderstandings but no cheap contrivances, and swoonworthy happily-ever-after. This story has shades of the beloved classic “Beauty and the Beast”—I enjoyed this love story very much!
It is good to relax.
It was a little different from what I’ve read before. Read in one marathon session, and I enjoyed it. Would read it again.
So romantic. I’m a sucker for a good Beauty and the Beast romance. This one has sympathetic characters and lots of heart.
This was agonizing waiting for the ending, but worth the wait.
I listened to the audio version of this story and absolutely loved it! The story itself was such a good one and I truly did not want to stop listening. The narration was wonderful and fit the story perfectly. The only thing that would have made the book even better would have been an epilogue. The ending was cute, but I would have liked to peek into at least a few month into the future with these characters and see farther into their happily ever after.
Beautiful visual writing.
I have read all of Mimi Matthews books and this is my very favorite. Every character in the story is essential to the plot, from Sylvia’s duplicitous maid to Sebstian’s meddling sister. I fell in love with their story. In fact I have read it more than once.
This short novel was the perfect distraction from worldly concerns on a Sunday afternoon! Wonderful chemistry and characters whose story tugged on my heart in the best way. Could some misunderstandings have been cleared up with a conversation? Maybe. But the characters were so well developed and I’d gotten so deep inside their heads (Great job, Mimi Matthews!) that their actions and inactions were believable and understandable. The best books totally immerse you in their world, and The Lost Letter definitely did that.
Mimi Matthews is one of my newest favorite authors to not only read but also to follow on facebook. I love how much research she puts into her books and the styles she posts of the time period is so neat to see! Her descriptions help emerge yourself into the story as if you were also there!
The Lost Letter is a book full of second chances, lost love and recovery! It’s beautiful how the characters relationship grows and recovers from misunderstandings and the horrible mail system!!! Both Sylvia and Sabastian have a beautiful love story to read over and over 🙂
A quick read and predictable but I enjoyed it just the same.
I discovered Mimi Matthews’ books late last year and have read five so far. I have bought the other ones and am on a mission to read them all. I have also preordered the next two upcoming ones. I love this author! Her writing is simply captivating. Highly recommended.
I really enjoyed reading this book.
So beautiful !
A beautiful love story! How likely it was that the privileged only wanted money in a marriage and how many could be hurt. I really liked the images of her hands on his face. I think it said a lot about her character.
This was a bit predictable but over all okay.